


You're Just Jealous ('Cause We're Young and In Love)

by lit_chick08



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Het and Slash, Multi, Polyamory, Recreational Drug Use, Threesome - F/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-28
Updated: 2012-03-28
Packaged: 2017-11-02 15:13:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/370377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lit_chick08/pseuds/lit_chick08
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Best friends share everything</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're Just Jealous ('Cause We're Young and In Love)

Once upon a time, Miranda Sommers, Kelly Donovan, and Carol Harper were three girls who wanted something more than their parents’ lives, than being slaves to the factory and struggling to always make ends meet. They swore to each other they would lead different sorts of lives, the kinds of lives which were full of love and laughter and happy endings.

Miranda fell in love with Grayson Gilbert when they were sixteen, got engaged when they were twenty-three, and married when they were twenty-four. At twenty-seven, they adopted their daughter, a beautiful baby who rarely fussed that they named Elena.

Carol fell in love with Richard Lockwood when they were twenty-three, got engaged when they were twenty-four, and married when they were twenty-five. At twenty-six, she gave birth to their only child, a little boy with the most expressive dark eyes they named Tyler.

Kelly fell in lust with one of the men doing construction on the Grill when she was twenty-six, got pregnant two weeks later, and was left behind as he returned to home to his wife and children. At twenty-seven, she gave birth to her only son, a boy with the sunniest disposition she had ever witnessed in a baby whom she named Matthew.

The first time all three children were together, they weren’t even able to sit up on their own, but it was already established they would be the best of friends.

* * *

There is a photo Miranda Gilbert kept on the mantle next to the latest pictures of Elena and Jeremy, in a beautiful silver frame Grayson bought her for their third anniversary.

Elena is three, her thick, dark hair falling to her chin, and she is lying on her stomach in the backyard, her head balanced on balled fists. On her left is Tyler, his arm stretched across her back, a large grin across his face. On her right is Matt, already a head taller than the rest, his arm flung across Elena’s shoulders, his head inclined to rest against Elena’s, blond and brown contrasting prettily.

Miranda loved that picture and everything it represented, the two little boys who loved her daughter limitlessly and whom her daughter adored in return.

* * *

One spring day in kindergarten, their assignment was to draw a picture of their best friend. Elena, who shared a double-desk with Tina Fell, carefully drew a depiction of Matt and Tyler at the park her mother took them to after school. As she was putting the finishing touches on the drawing, Tina leaned over and scoffed.

“Who’s that?”

“That’s Matt and that’s Tyler.”

“Are you stupid? You can only have _one_ best friend and it _can’t_ be a boy. Everyone knows that.”

Elena’s eyes filled with tears at Tina’s pronouncement, and she quickly flipped her paper over, burying her face in her folded arms. When the teacher noticed her bouncing shoulders, she took Elena out into the hallway to find out what was wrong. When Elena explained what Tina had said, the teacher smiled before quickly assuring her it was perfectly normal to have boys as best friends.

Matt drew Tyler and Elena.

Tyler drew Matt and Elena.

* * *

When the kids were in fourth grade, Carol found out Richard and Kelly had an affair. After raging at Richard and calling Kelly every name under the sun, Carol ended her thirty-year friendship with Kelly and purged every reminder of their relationship from her life.

It wasn’t until three weeks later she realized the consequences of her decision. Elena and Tyler were running around the backyard, darting back and forth between the bushes, when Tyler ran up to where she and Miranda were seated, panting and out of breath.

“Mom, when’s Matt coming over?”

“He’s not coming today, sweetie.”

Tyler’s face folded into confusion. “Did he do something wrong?”

“No – “

“Then why isn’t he here?”

Miranda pointedly avoided Carol’s gaze as she squirmed, and Carol eventually sighed before promising, “I’ll call his mom, see if he can come over.”

She hated driving over to the Donovan house to pick up Matt, who was waiting on the curb, a tentative smile on his face. As he slid into the passenger’s seat, Carol smiled brightly and asked him about school. 

They had just climbed out of the car when Matt cautiously said, “Miss Carol?”

“Yeah, sweetie?”

“I’m sorry for whatever my mom did.”

Carol froze, her eyes stinging with tears, before she leaned over and gathered Matt tightly against her. “Don’t you worry about that, sweetheart. You’re always welcome here no matter what.”

It just never seemed right to see Tyler without Matt by his side.

* * *

When they were twelve, Tyler and Matt realized Elena was a girl.

That summer, Elena’s parents took them all to their lake house for a weekend, Tyler and Matt sleeping on the floor in Jeremy’s room, Vicki and Elena sharing Elena’s bed. While Grayson taught the boys how to fish, Miranda and the girls went shopping in town.

On the second day at the lake, Elena and Vicki were stretched out on the dock in their bikinis, soaking up every ounce of sun they could. As Matt and Tyler returned from their walk in the woods, they kicked off their shoes, prepared to swim when Tyler suddenly stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Matt asked as he tugged his shirt off.

“Dude,” Tyler began, dropping his voice to a whisper, “Elena’s got _boobs_.”

Matt immediately turned his head to confirm this, so used to seeing Elena he rarely noticed changes unless they were pointed out. Sure enough, the cups of her bikini top were straining to contain rounded softness Matt knew for a fact hadn’t existed a few months earlier when he had accidentally walked in on her changing.

Matt felt a stirring in his shorts and quickly felt the familiar rush of embarrassment that accompanied it. 

“We shouldn’t be looking,” Matt decided, feeling his cheeks warm in embarrassment. “She’s our friend.”

“Yeah,” Tyler acknowledged, “but…She’s kind of hot, right?”

Matt begrudgingly nodded, feeling guilty for even looking at Elena that way. As he looked at Tyler out of the corner of his eye, he realized Tyler had no such feelings.

* * *

Kelly knew it would happen before the kids did; she wasn’t knowledgeable about many things, but Kelly understood the dynamics of attraction better than just about anyone else in Mystic Falls.

She came home from work one night to find the three of them on the couch, Elena stretched across their laps, her head resting on a pillow in Matt’s lap, her legs on Tyler’s. Tyler’s fingers were idly caressing Elena’s bare calf while Matt drew his fingers through her long hair, and, when Kelly entered the living room, she noticed the vaguely guilty expressions on both boys’ faces.

Elena, on the other hand, simply smiled. “Hey, Kelly! How was work?”

“Oh, same shit, different day. You guys eaten yet? I think I’m going to order pizza.”

Elena will break both of their hearts; of this, Kelly was certain.

* * *

Elena’s relationship with Tyler was completely different than her relationship with Matt, which she attributed to the fact they were like different sides of the same coin.

Matt was infinitely patient with the tenderest heart. He was the one who remembered the minutest of details about people’s lives, the one who would do anything to help someone. Whenever Elena needed to talk about something important, she always called Matt before anyone else; he was the best listener Elena knew and he knew her heart better than even she did.

Tyler was impulsive and a little wild. He acted solely on emotion, barreling into a situation without ever giving it any consideration, and it made time spent with him incredibly excited. Whenever Elena wanted to let loose, she called Tyler; he was the person who would let her dance along the edge of the precipice but always pulled her back if it looked like she was about to go too far. 

As a result, it made sense to Elena that her relationship with Tyler was more physical than hers with Matt. She and Tyler were always touching, wrapping their arms around the other almost unconsciously, playfully nuzzling the other when they came up behind each other in the hallway, limbs always overlapping. They never kissed or did anything untoward, but Elena enjoyed the familiar feel of Tyler against her.

It never occurred to Elena how it looked until Bonnie asked her one day, “What’s going on with you and Ty?”

“What do you mean?”

“You two are always all over each other. People talk.”

“People are stupid,” Elena countered with a roll of her eyes.

She became more aware of Tyler touching her after that.

* * *

As was the reality of having a best friend who was the opposite sex, someone always had a crush. It was never spoken of but it was always easy to tell when the crushes were cycling through. Those were the days Elena spent more time with Tyler than Matt or Matt would blush every time Elena looked at him. Usually the crushes dissipated as quickly as they began and equilibrium would return.

That is, until the beginning of sophomore year.

They were all working at the Sexy Suds carwash to raise money for Homecoming, Caroline directing them like a mad woman, when Matt leaned over to Tyler as they washed Coach Tanner’s truck. Both of them were subtly checking out Elena, who was wearing a bright purple bikini, and Caroline, who wore a fire engine red suit so scandalous the cheerleading coach made her put on shorts.

“So I was thinking,” Matt began, fumbling with the sponge for a moment, “that I might ask out ‘Lena.”

Tyler froze. “What do you mean?”

“I want to ask her to Homecoming,” Matt explained, smiling faintly in her direction. “I like her.”

“Of course you like her. That’s not the point.”

Matt frowned. “What _is_ the point?”

Tyler felt anger and jealousy bubbling in his stomach, gritting his teeth. “The point is, it’s always been the three of us, right?”

He shrugged easily. “Sure.”

“So you two ride off into the sunset and what, I get to third wheel it on your dates? You get with ‘Lena and I get fucking dropped.”

“Dude, you’re reading _way_ too much into this. You know we – “

“Oh, and now you’re already _we_ people.” Tyler threw his sponge into the bucket at their feet, sudsy water splashing over the sides. “You ever think you’re not the only one who likes her?”

Matt blinked in surprise. “You never said – “

“Of course I didn’t! Because we’re best friends and best friends don’t date each other and leave the other one hanging. It’s called loyalty, man. Look it up some time.”

And then Tyler stormed off, leaving Matt to stare after his best friend in bewilderment.

* * *

“Why are you and Matt fighting?” Elena asked one evening as she and Tyler worked on their chemistry homework in her bedroom.

“We aren’t fighting.”

“Yeah, you just ignore each other in the halls, don’t hang out, and completely blow me off whenever _I’m_ hanging with Matt. Gee, why would I think you’re fighting?”

“It’s complicated,” Tyler evaded.

“Well, in case you didn’t know, I’m pretty smart, so hit me with it.”

Tyler groaned, closing his chemistry book and rolling onto his back, staring up at Elena’s ceiling. She mimicked his position, gently nudging him with her ankle, and he sighed, sounding incredibly exhausted.

“Matt likes you,” Tyler finally divulged. “Like…he _likes_ you.”

Elena was quiet for a moment before admitting, “I know.”

Tyler popped up, disbelief on his face. “You _know_?!”

She sat up slowly, casually shrugging. “I didn’t really think it was a secret. He’s kind of hinted he wants us to be more than friends.”

“And you want to be?”

“I don’t know,” Elena answered honestly. “I like Matt and I’m sure he’d be a really great boyfriend, but I also think it would ruin everything.”

“Everything?”

“We’ve all been together since we were babies. And Bonnie’s my best friend and Caroline’s usually my other best friend, but you and Matt, you two are, like, _more_ than my best friends. And if I date Matt or I date you, then someone’s going to get left out and it’ll never be the same.”

“If you date me?” Tyler echoed teasingly.

Elena rolled her eyes. “I see the way you look at my ass. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”

He laughed, shaking his head.

“But seriously, Ty, you need to fix things with him,” Elena continued. “I don’t want to be the reason you guys fight.”

He stopped at Matt’s house on the way home and they agree neither of them will date Elena.

* * *

They end up at the Lockwood mansion after Homecoming, a group of ten gathered in the den until almost one when curfews dictate the others leave. Matt had already planned on spending the night, and Elena called her parents, easily being granted permission to sleep in one of the guest rooms and come home in the morning. If it were any other boy’s house, Elena knew her father would have instantly protested, but she was with Matt and Tyler, the only two boys Grayson Gilbert trusted unequivocally with his daughter’s safety.

They all slipped out of their formal wear, Elena changing into a pair of basketball shorts she has to roll a dozen times before they will stay on her slim hips and an old practice shirt with “Lockwood” across the back; she had a similar one at home, borrowed and never returned to Matt, with “Donovan” spelled out in fading letters on the back. Tyler wore only a pair of shorts while a pair of threadbare pajama pants hung low on Matt’s hips.

Sometime in the middle of a Judd Apatow movie, Tyler disappeared upstairs before coming back with a baggie, a lighter, and a bowl. Both Elena and Matt blinked in surprise as Tyler began to pack the bowl expertly.

“What the hell, Ty?” Matt said, mild outrage in his voice. Vicki was already in the throws of her drug addiction by then, and both Elena and Tyler knew how it tore Matt up inside to see his sister spiraling out of control.

“Relax man,” Tyler replied mildly. “It’s just pot. You can’t get fucked up on pot.”

“I don’t know, Ty…” Elena began, shaking her head.

Tyler looked up, locking gazes with her, and Elena could read the sincerity in his dark eyes. “I would never do anything that would hurt you. You’ll like it, I promise.”

Elena and Matt exchanged glances before Elena moved forward, taking a hit the way Tyler showed her. She coughed almost instantly, and Tyler laughed, correcting her technique. Matt hesitated when it was passed to him before following suit, and soon they were passing it back and forth easily.

Her limbs filled with a pleasant lassitude, Elena lied back on the carpet as Matt and Tyler laughed above her. She closed her eyes, listening to the comforting sounds of their voices; it took a moment for her to realize they were quiet, the realization sinking in when she felt the brush of warm hips against her throat.

Blinking open her eyes, she found Tyler on his side, his mouth exploring her neck, and Elena didn’t move, unsure how to stop him, even more unsure if she wanted him to stop. Twisting her head to allow Tyler more access, Elena was startled to find Matt lying on his side next to her, eyes wide as he watched Tyler explore her exposed skin.

When Matt molded his mouth over hers, Elena moaned, the reality of the situation starting to sink in, and she knew this was wrong, that girls were not supposed to get high with their best friends and then make out with them, but it felt surprisingly _comforting_ to be surrounded by them, to have them touching her so gently.

Tyler took hold of her chin, turning her away from Matt to finally kiss her lips, and Matt moved downward, his tongue licking a stripe over the arch of her throat before suckling carefully at her pulse point. Elena moaned, her hand rising to grip the back of Tyler’s neck, holding him tightly against her as Matt’s warm fingers began to stroke back and forth along the skin of her lower abdomen.

“You’re so hot,” Tyler panted as he palmed her breast over the shirt she wore, his blunt teeth sinking briefly into her shoulder, making her moan. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted this.”

“Hell yeah,” Matt agreed, tentatively sliding his hand further underneath her shirt, finding the band of her strapless bra, carefully slipping his fingers inside the cup, finding her erect nipple easily.

Elena bucked her hips at the feeling, twisting her hips at the tension building between her thighs, and she tugged at the front of Matt’s shirt, pulling him down for a hungry kiss as Tyler moved down her body, easily removing the shorts from her body. At the feel of Tyler between her thighs, his fingers teasingly stroking her inner thighs, Elena pulled away from Matt’s mouth and gasped, “Wait!”

“Don’t worry,” Tyler murmured against her hip bone, suckling gently at the thin skin there. “We won’t go too far.”

Elena suspected they had already gone too far, but she couldn’t say that, not when Matt was carefully helping her out of her shirt to explore her curves or Tyler was pressing his mouth against the wetness between her thighs through her soaked panties.

They undressed her completely, using the teamwork that made them so unstoppable on the football field, and Elena moaned loudly when her bare chest met Matt’s, Tyler chuckling behind her.

“You’re going to wake up the whole house,” Tyler chuckled as he pressed himself firmly against her back, his tongue tracing the shell of her ear.

“I can’t help it,” Elena whimpered as they rolled her onto her back, her fingers digging into the plush carpeting.

“Grab that pillow,” Tyler directed Matt, gesturing to one of the nearby throw pillows.

“Why?” Matt panted as he obeyed.

“Because Elena’s going to need it,” Tyler stated in a low, heated voice which made both Elena and Matt’s stomachs clench at the blatant promise in his words.

The moment Tyler’s tongue met her folds, Elena grabbed the pillow from Matt’s hands, pressing it over her face to muffle her cries. Matt began to attend to her breasts, delicately sipping one nipple into his mouth as his hand worked the other, alternating every few minutes. Tyler carefully eased one finger inside her body, and Elena pitched her hips upward, moaning even louder when Tyler and Matt both used one hand to press her back against the floor.

As Tyler wrapped her lips around her clit, his tongue flicking it teasingly before sucking hard, Matt pulled the pillow away from Elena, sealing his mouth over hers, swallowing her cries. Elena’s hips churned against Tyler’s mouth, and Tyler slipped his hands beneath her ass, holding her firmly against his mouth as he built her towards a second climax, ruthlessly building her pleasure. The second orgasm blindsided Elena, and she bit Matt’s lower lip as she shook.

When she felt Tyler’s tongue continue to move against her, she pulled back, gasping, “Oh, god, stop. I can’t!”

Tyler pressed a soft kiss to her pelvic bone before ascending her body, his mouth shiny with her juices. He kissed her, letting Elena taste herself on his tongue, and Elena trembled as Matt brushed her hair away from her sweaty skin.

“She tastes incredible,” Tyler divulged hoarsely, and there is so much hunger in his voice that Matt could not help but be jealous.

Both of them are hard, aching with need, and Elena carefully rolled onto her side as she kissed Tyler, her hand sliding down his chest to the waistband of his shorts. Tyler squirmed in anticipation, locking gazes with Matt over Elena’s shoulder, and he subtly gestured for Matt to touch her before his eyes rolled back at the feel of Elena’s palm wrapped around him.

Elena carefully slid up and down his length, marveling at the softness of his skin stretched over something so hard, and she could not help but smile when Tyler moaned her name against her shoulder. So focused on Tyler, Elena was unprepared when she felt Matt grind his hardness against her ass, silently requesting attention in the same unassuming way he always had.

Keeping the motion of her stroking hand even, Elena glanced over her shoulder to find Matt smiling cautiously, nervousness in his beautiful blue eyes, and she loved him more in that moment than she ever had before.

“What do you want?” she whispered as Tyler thrust into her hand, rolling his hips impatiently.

Matt lowered his eyes, his lips brushing against her shoulder in a feather light kiss. “I want to be inside you,” he admitted shyly.

Elena swallowed hard before nodding quickly. “Okay.”

Matt’s eyes bulged in surprise. He was about to push his pajamas off when Tyler lifted his head from Elena’s throat, his eyes locking with Matt’s.

“Condom, dude,” Tyler reminded him, jerking his head towards the door. “In my night stand.”

As Matt got to his feet, wincing as he hurried upstairs, Tyler turned Elena’s attention back to him by playfully nipping her throat. She squeezed his hardness in retaliation, and Tyler moaned her name, sending a streak of warmth through her body. His fingers hooked into the waistband of his shorts, shedding them quickly, and Elena took in the sight of his naked body, blushing despite herself.

“You’re beautiful,” Elena complimented, and Tyler could not help but flush a brilliant shade of red.

They kissed, Tyler pulling Elena on top of his body, and she began to kiss her way down his body, her tongue gathering the taste of salt from his skin. When she reached the trail of dark hair which led to cock, Elena lightly ran her fingers down his length, experimentally pressing a kiss to the head.

“Jesus, _fuck_ , ‘Lena!” he gasped. “Don’t tease!”

Elena had listened to Caroline and Bonnie describe this act before, but she still felt nervousness buzz through her blood as she carefully wrapped her lips around him, her tongue gliding along his skin. Tyler pressed his hips back against the carpet, forcing himself not to thrust up, his fingers longing to tangle in her hair. 

“Harder,” Tyler panted, his eyes rolling back as Elena obeyed, her hand firmly grasping him at the root as the suction increased, Elena’s head bobbing in increasing speed.

Elena was finally relaxing, her comfort growing with this act, when Matt returned, swearing impressively at the sight which greeted him. Tyler opened his eyes at his exclamation, and Matt palmed his hardness through his pants, squeezing almost to the point of pain in order to keep his orgasm at bay.

“’Lena - _fuck_ \- I’m going to come!”

Elena immediately pulled back, her lips swollen and eyes wide as she watched Tyler take himself in hand, his hand quickly sliding up and down his length until he cried out sharply, his come pooling on his abs. As Tyler shuddered and waited for his breathing to regulate, Elena stretched to the end table, gathering up Kleenex and gently cleaning the mess he made.

“You’re incredible,” Tyler declared shakily, pulling her down for a kiss, and Elena giggled against his lips as he rolled her onto her side, Matt settling behind her, his pajama pants forgotten, condom firmly in place.

As she and Tyler’s mouths met lazily, Matt massaged her hip, unsure what to do, wishing he had as much experience with girls as Tyler did. Sensing his hesitation, Tyler opened his eyes and lifted Elena’s leg, hooking it over Matt’s hip, opening her. Elena shivered as Matt’s length slid against her, electrifying her nerve, trying to twist her hips to meet Matt’s. He fumbled for a moment, unsure what to do, and then he groaned as Tyler took him in his hand, leading him to Elena’s entrance.

“You’re so wet,” Tyler marveled, his fingers sliding against her clit as Matt pushed inside slowly, eyes rolling back in his head at the hot tightness of her body.

Elena cried out in pain as Matt sank fully in, and Tyler reached over Elena to grab Matt’s ass, stopping him from withdrawing. As tears filled Elena’s eyes, her body struggling to adjust to the invasion, Tyler firmly held Matt in place, locking gazes with his best friend.

“Don’t move,” he instructed as Matt struggled not to buck his hips. “Let her get used to it. It hurts.”

“I’m sorry,” Matt apologized instantly, kissing the tender spot behind her ear. “I can stop, ‘Lena. I’m sorry.”

She shook her head, her free hand reaching back to find Matt’s, and he squeezed it tightly, the same way he always had when she needed his strength. “No, I’m okay. Don’t stop now.”

“Slow,” Tyler advised, his grip on Matt loosening, hand returning to Elena’s center as Matt gently pulled back before pushing in, a soft hiss escaping her clenched teeth. As Matt carefully pushed in and out of her body, Tyler kept a firm pressure on her clit, coaxing more wetness from her body, easing Matt’s way.

“Kiss me,” Elena requested, and neither boy knew who she was talking to but both rushed to comply, Tyler finding her mouth as Matt’s mouth slid against her cheek. Elena jerked in pleasure and suddenly Tyler’s mouth was only millimeters from Matt’s. 

Neither knew who leaned forward first, but their mouths met sloppily in the middle, Tyler’s tongue pushing into Matt’s mouth forcefully as Elena watched, moaning into Tyler’s chest. As Elena began to contract and pulse around Matt, he pulled away, coming with a shout as Tyler continued to touch them both.

Afterward, they all lied nude on the carpet, their limbs entangled, self-consciousness gone. And then Matt started to laugh. It was soft at first but built quickly, and soon all three of them were giggling hysterically, floating on the endorphins in their bloodstreams.

“That was fun,” Matt finally declared.

It was the understatement of the year.

* * *

They only had one rule: nothing ever happened unless the three of them were together. Jealousy had no place in their relationship now, and the quickest way to prevent against it was to make sure no one ever felt left out.

Everyone thought it was Matt and Elena who were dating, and none of them tried to correct the assumption. It allowed for a cover story when they wanted to be alone, and it also gave Elena a reason to ask to be put on birth control. And, while Elena was no longer allowed to sleep at Matt’s house or vice versa, she _was_ still allowed to have unlimited reign at the Lockwoods’. It was the perfect arrangement.

Matt liked to watch Elena and Tyler together. Sometimes he would not even want anything for himself, preferring to instruct Tyler in his exploration of Elena’s body, his hand wrapped tightly around himself as his two best friends made love.

Tyler liked to help Matt make love to Elena. Matt was his best friend and surprisingly innocent, and it gave Tyler a sense of pride to teach him how to make Elena tremble, where to touch and kiss to get the strongest reaction.

Elena liked to bridge the gap between Tyler and Matt. It was obvious when they were together her two friends wanted each other, but both were always too nervous to initiate anything without her as a buffer. She loved to see them kiss or touch, always with far more tenderness than they’d ever claim to be possible.

One afternoon, when Vicki was working a double at the Grill and Kelly was in Virginia Beach, the three of them squeezed into the shower in the Donovan bathroom, hot water beating down against them as their bodies slid together deliciously. Elena shivered as Tyler and Matt’s mouths met above her, her body trapped between their bodies.

Carefully Elena slipped out between them, coming behind Tyler. Their kiss stopped when they realized she was no longer separating them, and Elena drew her lips across the breadth of Tyler’s shoulder.

“Make him feel as good as you make me feel,” Elena requested softly, smiling at Matt gently.

Tyler hesitated for a moment before pulling Matt down to him, their mouths mashing together hungrily. Matt stumbled back against the wall, and Tyler followed, his arms bracketing Matt’s body against the tile. Elena ran her fingers down the length of Tyler’s back almost absently as his lips explored Matt’s chest, Matt’s head tilting backwards as he moaned.

Tyler sank to his knees, his hands grasping hold of Matt’s hips, and Elena shuddered, one hand slipping between her legs as the other plucked at her nipple, body brimming with anticipation.

Matt’s groan echoed in the steam-filled bathroom, his hand falling to Tyler’s head as his best friend’s mouth closed around his cock. Tyler took him as deeply as he could, getting used to the taste of Matt on his tongue, and tightly grasped the base of his cock as he pulled back, his tongue circling the head before descending again. He knew from the sounds Matt was making this was not going to last long, and, as his hand cupped Matt’s balls, he became vaguely aware of Elena and the high, keening noises she was making as she built her own pleasure.

“Ty!” Matt cried as he came, and Tyler jerked in surprise as Matt’s come filled his mouth. Instinctively he swallowed, nose wrinkling at the taste as Matt shakily slid down the wall, sitting on the ledge as he recovered.

Painfully hard, Tyler turned towards Elena, who was moving her hand desperately between her thighs. Pushing her hand away, Tyler spun her around, Elena’s hand bracing herself against the wall, one foot finding its way into the corner of the tub as he entered her in one thrust, their hips meeting in a furious rhythm.

Afterward, they lied in Matt’s bed, Elena cocooned between them, Matt’s hand on her hip, Tyler tracing the line of her collarbone.

“I love you guys,” Tyler declared sleepily.

“We love you too,” Elena replied, snuggling deeper into their embraces.

* * *

Elena was in the middle of a conversation with Bonnie, shouting over the music at the party to be heard, when she saw Matt leading Tyler through the throng, an arm tossed around his shoulders, Tyler obviously drunk. Excusing herself, she crossed the room, concerned.

“’Lena!” Tyler exclaimed, his voice soaked in whiskey, one arm tugging her firmly to him. 

“You’re hammered,” Elena laughed as they stumbled out to the porch.

“I’m going to take him home,” Matt explained as he opened the passenger’s side door of his truck, hoisting Tyler up into the cab.

“So much for our plans,” Elena sighed regretfully. 

Matt’s eyes flashed in desire, swallowing hard, as Tyler slurred an apology from inside the truck. After months of discussion and preparation, Tyler had finally convinced them to try double penetration, and, after the party, they had intended to go back to the Lockwood mansion to finally cross the last threshold they’d yet to break through.

“There’s always tomorrow,” Matt pointed out, lowering his head to brush a kiss against her mouth. “Do you want a ride now or do you want me to come back?”

Elena shook her head. “It’s cool. My mom told me to call for a ride if I needed one. Just take care of him, okay?”

Closing the passenger’s door, Matt nodded dutifully. “Of course.”

Tyler heaved himself into a sitting position, rolling down the window and smiling dopily at her. “I love you, ‘Lena.”

Elena laughed. “I love you, too, alkie.”

She watched as Matt’s taillights disappeared in the distance before pulling her cell out of her jeans, pressing the speed dial for her house. As thunder rolled in the distance, Elena sighed, “Hey, Mom, it’s me. Think you guys could come get me?”

* * *

Everything was different after the accident.

Elena never explicitly said she blamed them for what happened; intellectually she knew it was not Tyler or Matt’s fault that her parents had died, that their car had hydroplaned into the water. But she could not help but feel like, if Tyler hadn’t gotten drunk, if Matt hadn’t needed to play white knight, her parents never would’ve been on the road.

Of course, if she had just accepted Matt’s offer for a ride, they also never would’ve been on the bridge that night, and it was that thought which ate Elena alive.

Either way, Elena stopped answering their calls.

Matt started to pull away from Tyler, unconsciously blaming him for the dissolution of his relationship with Elena.

Tyler started sleeping with Vicki, who was nothing like Matt _or_ Elena, but who always smelled of the same detergent which clung to Matt’s clothing and whose dark hair tricked him into believing it was someone else asleep on his pillow.

* * *

She started dating Stefan, and they both hate him.

Sometimes, when they’re both a little drunk and overcome with bitterness, they hate her too.

* * *

There are rumors she’s dating both Salvatores, that she’s fucking both Stefan _and_ his big brother.

Tyler punches out the guy who repeats the rumor to him, and Matt scrubs the graffiti about her off of a stall in the Grill bathroom.

* * *

Matt starts dating Caroline, and then Tyler starts spending all this time with Caroline, and Elena knows she has no right to be jealous.

She is anyway.

* * *

Elena keeps a photo in her journal from that year, hidden away amongst the descriptions and confessions of her time with them. There is nothing particularly scandalous about the picture; during the time they were together, she kept it tucked in her mirror with the rest of her pictures.

It was taken at Caroline’s sixteenth birthday party, three months before the accident. Matt is sitting in an overstuffed arm chair in the Forbes living room, Elena curled up on his lap, Tyler perched on the arm of the chair, his arm around Matt’s shoulders. They are all grinning widely, three best friends without a care in the world.

Elena misses them so sharply sometimes, it is a physical pain.

She wants to tell them, but they love someone else now and she has two broken brothers who both want her for themselves.

* * *

Sometimes they regret everything.

Usually they don’t.

* * *

They _never_ talk about it, those seven months when they broke every taboo.

They _never_ stop thinking about it, the seven months when they were loved more completely than they will ever be again.


End file.
